Dhoad, also known under the name Dhoad gypsies of Rajasthan, or Dhoad gypsies from Rajasthan is a group created in France in 2002 and directed by Rahis Bharti which brings together musicians from
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
.
History and training
The name Dhoad comes from the original village of Rahis Bharti. The group is made up of musicians,
traditional dancers (the
Ghoomar dance),
fakir
Fakir ( ar, فقیر, translit=faḳīr or ''faqīr'') is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do not necessarily renounce ...
s,
fire eaters
Fire eating is the act of putting a flaming object into the mouth and extinguishing it. A fire eater can be an entertainer, a street performer, part of a sideshow or a circus act but has also been part of spiritual tradition in India.
Physic ...
, singers, players of traditional
tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...
,
dholak
The ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The instrument is about 45 cm in length and 27 cm in breadth and is widely used in '' qawwali'', ''kirtan'', ''lavani'' and '' bhangra''. The drum has two differe ...
, harmonium, kartel, bhapang, Indian Jew's harp), acrobats, poets and troubadours.
The training is signed by the
Harmonia Mundi
Harmonia Mundi is an independent record label which specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group.
Its Latin name ''h ...
label.
Rahis Bharti
Rahis Bharti is an Indian musician and
tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...
player specializing in folk and classical styles. He is the descendant of over seven generations of royal court Rajasthani musicians, with multiple cultural influences. They initially played for the
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great Monarch, king" or "high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Em ...
s from father to son. He has lived in France since the early
2000s
File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled during ...
. Founder, artistic director and musician of the Dhoad, Bollywood Massala Orchestra and Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band formations, he honors traditional Indian and Rajasthan music while experimenting with musical exchanges with other musical aesthetics. He became an ambassador and custodian of the culture of Rajasthan.
He's a foremost figure responsible for popularizing Rajasthani arts and music globally. He is a music producer,
artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...
,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, and founder of several ensembles.
Bharti has sponsored and promoted over 700 local Rajasthani dancers, musicians and artists from countless villages and towns in India and introduced them to the global stage. He has collaborated with scores of musicians from around the world, including Spanish
Flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura an ...
musicians,
African musicians,
Corsican musicians and Pop stars in Europe and the USA.
Dedicated to the promotion of Rajasthani artists and musicians, Bharti founded the LIMDA Agency and FLR Production Company, France.
Bharti has performed over 2500 concerts in more than 110 countries around the world. He has conducted educational workshops and classes on Rajasthani music, arts and culture in schools, colleges and universities.
Group journey

In 2000, as soon as he arrived in
Corsica, Rahis Bhartiil wanted to make his
traditional music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
known, and was already imagining the group Dhoad. He quickly brought in other Indian musicians. This is how he created the group Dhoad in 2002, to perform learned and traditional Rajasthani music. This variable geometry group includes musicians, dancers, fire-eaters, acrobats and fakir on stage. That is to say up to 18 artists on stage, that Rahis integrates, directs, produces and organizes the tours of the group.
Dhoad has performed over 1,500 concerts in over 110 countries. The group has performed at international events. They also played for the former President of the French Republic,
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle f ...
, before the President of India
Abdul Kalam Azad, Narendra Modi Indian Prime Minister at the Carrousel du Louvre.
The group regularly shares the stage with other artists and performs with Hocine Boukella40, Esma Redzepova, Diego Carrasco, Romano Drom, Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio, Ssassa. They also shared the stage with
Matthieu Chedid
Matthieu Chedid (born 21 December 1971), better known by his stage name -M-, is a French rock singer-songwriter and guitar player. Since 2018, he has been the most awarded artist at the Victoires de la Musique Awards with 13 awards, tied with ...
at the Élysée Montmartre and the singer
LP during the Notte Della Taranta44 festival.
In 2007, the group took part in the show La route des fils du vent, bringing together music by gypsies from
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
(
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura an ...
) and Rajasthan.
The group is based both in
Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metr ...
, where Rahis Bharti resides, and also in Rajasthan, where most musicians reside.'
Awards to Bharti
* 2015: Silicon Valley global organization community award in USA.
* 2016: Awards Include: The Fryderyk Award (Polish Grammy) Poland.
* 2018: Rajasthan Gouvrav (Pride of Rajasthan) Jaipur India
* 2019: CID Section of Japan ,UNESCO award for Cultural Ambassador of Rajasthan Bestowed upon Rahis Bharti 21 February in Tokyo Japan.
* 15 August 2019: District Award by city of Jaipur on the Independence day of India.
* 26 January 2020: Rajasthan state award on Republic day of india By Rajasthan Governor.
Discography
They released several albums,
including:
Albums
* ''The Dhoad Gypsies from Rajasthan'', label Dhoad Gypsies, 2005
* ''Roots travelers'', World village France Harmonia mundi distribution, 2011
* ''Âfya'', Sidi Bémol & Dhoad, gypsies from Rajasthan, CSB productions, 2014
* ''Times of Maharajas'',
ARC Music
ARC Music is a world music and folk music label based in West Sussex, England, that was established in 1976. Naxos acquired ARC in 2019.
Film and television
ARC Music has been used in the films '' Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Cryst ...
, 2019
Titles in a compilation
* Indian Vistas, ARC Music, 2018
Notes
* This page is taken from all or part of the translation of the
French wikipedia page on the subject
Official website
References
{{Authority control
Indian music
Indian musical groups